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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507142">A Chorus of Raindrops</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovetail/pseuds/dovetail'>dovetail</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadows in the Fog [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, a not very necessary sequel to Shadows in the Fog, that takes place during Legends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 03:34:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507142</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovetail/pseuds/dovetail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This doesn't seem to be the endpoint it might have appeared to be from the afterlife.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ryuzo/Jin Sakai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadows in the Fog [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010319</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Chorus of Raindrops</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannoura/gifts">dannoura</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Having to rely on him to heal us… It doesn't sit right with me at all," Tomoe tells them.</p><p>They're sitting by a fire in the middle of an abandoned farmstead, one they had cleared out from possessed Mongols and some oni recently enough that no one from among the living has moved back in yet.</p><p>Once that was done, everything became normal, the way they remember it being from back when they were still alive themselves. On the other side of that passage everything is its proper color and everything somehow feels more real, at least until the demons appear. It makes it worth fighting them. For things to become as they should be once they're gone.</p><p>And there's a strange kind of satisfaction in enjoying the most basic of things just being how they should be. The mud on the ground, the warmth of the fire, the warmth of Jin who is sitting right next to him. They must still be looking weird to the people who are properly alive when they see them because most of them run away from them immediately, especially if they are not wearing masks, but looking at each other or themselves, they don't see anything unusual. Being here feels a bit like being brought back to life.</p><p>And yes, a lot of things have changed. Their ability to regenerate from any injuries is gone and has been replaced, for some reason, by Ryuzo's ability to heal both himself and the other three.</p><p>"I can also not heal you," Ryuzo says to Tomoe. "And see how you'll fare then."</p><p>He doubts she would die, since they're all still already dead and they probably can't truly die again but he also doesn't think that what would have happened to her would have been particularly pleasant. Of course, not healing her is also out of the question because they need her. There are still both Mongols and oni left to fight here, plenty of both actually, and they do need to defeat them, because maybe then that strange storm over the sea around Tsushima will end and things will go fully back to normal.</p><p>They don't know what will happen to them then but maybe, it won't be something <i>terrible</i>.</p><p>"Besides, why are you complaining?" Ryuzo asks. "You were on the Mongol side as well. And while I had tried to kill Jin, you did kill him for real. Not to mention what you two did to the shikken before that."</p><p>"Don't blame me for succeeding at everything you failed at." Tomoe shrugs. "Maybe I'm worried precisely because you're incompetent."</p><p>"Cut it out," Jin speaks up when Ryuzo opens his mouth to answer. "Once we're done, we may be able to go our own ways. For now, it is what it is, we have no choice but to cooperate."</p><p>Tomoe scoffs and then busies herself with cleaning her sword. She seems to be generally unhappy about how things turned out for her, maybe even ever since Jin found her on the mainland back when she was still alive. And considering she'd left Tsushima before that leaving her broken bow behind and vowing to stop being an archer, which is something Jin eventually told Ryuzo about, Ryuzo isn't particularly surprised. This may be what she deserves though, even just for what she did while on the Mongol side. </p><p>But if they will be able to eventually go their own ways for real, she won't stay with them, that much Ryuzo is sure of. </p><p>As for the rest of them… He has no intention of leaving Jin's side anymore but he would have gladly left Tsushima, maybe finally gone to the mainland, even if he's dead. It would still be nice to finally get to see it. Then, maybe the rest of the world, if they could get enough time.</p><p>Kazumasa has it much harder. Because what is he supposed to be doing in the world of the living when everyone he has ever cared about is already dead and, besides Jin, somewhere else? Would he be able to go to where all those others are in the end, though? Gyozen doesn't answer any questions they may have. The only message he has for them is to fight. But while they are all called Ghosts now, this is still first and foremost Jin's fight. The rest of them are in it for one reason or another but mostly because all of them are hoping for something better at the end, because this doesn't seem to be the endpoint it might have appeared to be from the afterlife.</p><p>It's another weird place to get used to, more than anything. Developing a healing ability was not something Ryuzo would have expected to happen to him and Jin was puzzled by that happening as well. He also seemed not quite ready to trust him with it at first, either, even after everything they have already been through together. And it hurt a bit but Ryuzo stayed quiet about that.</p><p>Maybe it made sense in the end, he thought. After all, there had once been a time when he would have done everything for Jin and then everything he'd done since he'd taken lead of the Straw Hats after Komoda he had done for his men as well. It was not like he had ever been unwilling to do whatever had been necessary to keep them alive. It was just that, back then, it had taken him to wrong places.</p><p>The other strange ability he now has, that of summoning a spirit dog, is at least one Jin absolutely loves, even though it's clearly a Mongol dog. Jin doesn't seem bothered by that and he even told Ryuzo a story about befriending one of those in some Mongol camp back when he was alive and about it following him around for some time then. Ryuzo didn't doubt it. If anyone could do that, it would be Jin.</p><p>"I'm leaving for now," Tomoe says. She finishes what she has been doing and sheathes her sword. Her mask is hanging on the hilt.</p><p>"I'm not sure you should go anywhere," Jin speaks up.</p><p>Tomoe looks at him, clearly challenging him to say anything more. </p><p>The last time she left like that, Jin followed her. And it turned out that she had gone to Hiyoshi Springs.</p><p>"I don't think we're supposed to be disturbing the living like that," Jin says.</p><p>Ryuzo knows that Jin himself hasn't been adhering to that rule he and Kazumasa had set when they had first arrived here very steadfastly either. That he had been looking for that thief, Yuna, until he learned that she had left for the mainland a long time ago, back when it had been still possible, maybe even because of him. And once, he took Ryuzo along to Cedar Temple in the north, to look at some warrior monk from a distance. He didn't approach him though and Ryuzo realized that maybe that was precisely why he was there with him, so Jin wouldn't. </p><p>"Ishikawa-sensei has it bad enough after all his students turned out to be traitors," Jin points out. "He doesn't need you showing yourself to him repeatedly after your death, Tomoe."</p><p>"It's not for you to decide." Tomoe still gets to her feet. "You know nothing, you're not lonely like me, stuck in this situation as you are with your father and boyfriend by your side, so don't lecture me. You're all still doing that as well anyway, following the living around. You think I don't know that?" She turns around and starts walking away. "I'll be back when you need me," she says over her shoulder.</p><p>She will have no choice, Ryuzo thinks. Once they are needed somewhere and called by Gyozen, they are just magically transported there anyway.</p><p>In the end Jin doesn't stop her and she goes away.</p><p>"I have not been following anyone," Ryuzo says. Everyone he might have wanted to see was dead anyway, so why would he have bothered? "You, Lord Sakai?"</p><p>Kazumasa talks even less now than before, now that there are four of them, and it's been a while since Ryuzo has last heard him speak at all. He flinches at the question and the scales of his armor make a rustling sound.</p><p>"I have not approached anyone," he says. "But I went to take a look a few times. And Lady Adachi realized I was there."</p><p>"What did she say?" Jin asks, not questioning his father about approaching the living at all.</p><p>"She asked me about her family," Kazumasa answers. "Nothing I could help her with."</p><p>"The living know about us anyway," Ryuzo points out. "I think we've all heard them discussing us. They don't know our identities but they came up with their own names for us."</p><p>"That doesn't excuse what Tomoe's doing," Jin insists. </p><p>"But she's right, Jin," Ryuzo says. "She has it the worst. And you won't be able to stop her anyway."</p><p>"I'm leaving as well." Kazumasa puts on his mask and gets to his feet.</p><p>Jin will not question him leaving either, Ryuzo thinks, though they also have an idea of where Kazumasa is going. While he was unwilling to go to Omi Village back in the afterlife, he goes there all the time now. And as far as they know, he spends his time at the Sakai family cemetery, where his own grave is, but also his wife's. Ryuzo went there with Jin once and they discovered that Kazumasa had also made a grave for Jin there, which kind of makes sense but is also disturbing in a bizarre way. Ever since then, Jin started to keep away from Omi Village.</p><p>Kazumasa walks away and it's just the two of them left once he's gone.</p><p>"You have somewhere to be, too, Jin?" Ryuzo asks.</p><p>That does happen at times, Jin goes to scout various locations alone, since he's the best at moving silently. He may also be clearing out regular Mongol camps on his own, though Ryuzo would have preferred for him not to do that while he isn't around to heal him if he needed it.</p><p>"I'm fine here," Jin says. "With you."</p><p>He reaches for Ryuzo's hand.</p><p>"Good," Ryuzo says. He prefers not to worry where Jin went. And he has no one else but him.</p><p>Jin's hand is finally warm, he thinks.</p><p>Who knows how long this will last and what's supposed to happen to them once they're done here but this has to be good enough for now.</p><p>And maybe it'll do for the rest of eternity, too.</p><p><br/>
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